The Prince of Darkness
by BenneFrosted
Summary: Jamie Bennett believed that he would never see his favorite Snow Spirit again, but when the Nightmare King plots his return and Jack falls prisoner to Pitch's evil clutches, will Jamie risk everything to save his Frost Prince?
1. Chapter 1

The first snowfall of the year is always the most beautiful. Waking up to look out the window and find that everything is covered in a thin layer of snow. Watching it sparkle as the sun rises up and shines down on it, brightening the world with its undisturbed purity. It was this event that one Jamie Bennett had looked forward to every day of the year since that fateful night seven years ago when he was visited by the one and only Jack Frost and his fellow Guardians.

The morning after Pitch had been defeated, Jamie had woken up in his bed, the night before nothing but a memory. He hoped and prayed that his new found friends would visit him again but that day wouldn't come for a long time. Winters had gone by, Easter eggs had been hunted, and every lost tooth had been carefully placed in the hopes that he might catch a glimpse of one of the guardians. With every passing season, Jamie lost a bit of hope and believed a little less.

On this particular morning, Jamie was awoken by the delighted shouting of his sister Sophie. Groaning, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, sliding on his slippers and padding over to the window. Much to his surprise, his window was covered in a thin swirling layer of frost.

"Jamie! Jamie, look outside! It snowed!" Sophie shouted, barging into his room and flopping down on his bed.

"I saw it Soph, now will you please leave me alone for a while. It's still early." The nine year old shook her head and sat up, brushing the hair from her face.

"Do you think Jack did this Jamie?" she asked innocently. The mention of the snow spirit made Jamie's chest tighten with resentful disappointment and he shook his head, walking to the door.

"Come on, out. If you go now, maybe I'll take you sledding later." Sophie's eyes widened with excitement as she jumped up and sprinted from the room, swinging the door shut behind her and leaving Jamie alone with his thoughts. The tight feeling in his stomach lingered as he remembered the young, pale haired Guardian.

"I don't understand, Jack," he whispered, staring out the window. "Why did you have to leave? Why didn't you come back to see me? I know you've been there... you've caused enough snow days to make any kid jump for joy... I miss you Jack... Please, please come back... I don't want to stop believing but I have no choice..."

He pressed the palm of his hand to the pane of frosted glass, leaving a melted handprint in the delicate swirls before sliding on a pair of jeans and a button up and exiting his room.

. . . .

There was nothing Jack loved more than getting caught up in a gust of wind and travelling back to his home town of Burgess, causing the occasional snow day here and there as he went. The night sky glowed a dark navy blue, speckled with the twinkle of stars like Christmas lights on a tree. The town was quiet and peaceful as Jack flew down and landed on the top of the library. A pleased smile appeared as the golden tendrils of the Sandman's dream sand began to flow down from the sky and into the houses of sleeping children.

For a while, he simply sat atop the tall building's peak and watched Sandy work him magic, his mind drifting off into memories of the town from years ago. His thoughts drifted to Jamie and his chest ached with guilt. The night Jamie first believed in him had been like the start of a new chapter for Jack, giving him hope that soon everyone would believe that snow days or the intricate patterns of frost on their bedroom windows wasn't simply just natures work, but his. He'd promised Jamie that he would visit, but becoming a Guardian had been a lot more work than Jack has anticipated.

Absentmindedly, Jack stood up and caught a small gust of wind over the town, landing in the front yard of the Bennett house. From the outside, it looked the same as he remembered it from seven years ago, but what lie inside was something he'd feared facing for a very long time. He closed his eyes and huffed out a breath, tapping the tip of his staff to the ground and watching as the frost began to spread across the lawn and up onto the house. He ran and caught the wind, soaring high over the town and swirling his staff to create a large mass of snow clouds to cover the town.

He half flew, half fell back down to the rooftop of the Bennett house and watched his clouds coat the town in a blanket of powdery white snow. The children of Burgess would be in for a treat when they woke up a few short hours later. Jack hoped that it would be enough to make the one kid he loved the most believe again.

As the sun rose up over the horizon and changed the deep blue sky into a pale blue canvas, the snow clouds began to clear, allowing pillars of soft sunlight to shine down into the windows of the sleeping citizens. Jack's peaceful observation was interrupted by the sound of ecstatic shouts from inside the house.

"Here we go," Jack smirked, carefully floating over to the window in front of him. Peering inside, he almost fell out of the air at who he saw lying asleep. It took a moment but he finally realized that the peaceful sleeping figure behind the frosted glass of the window was none other than Jamie Bennett, only it wasn't the ten year old boy he remembered. Lost in his thoughts, Jack didn't notice Jamie waking up. It was only when he heard footsteps that he swung himself away from the window, pressing his back to the side of the house.

"Jamie! Jamie, look outside! It snowed!" Jack peered into the corner of the window, watching as the little blonde haired girl pounced on Jamie's bed.

"I saw it Soph, now will you please leave me alone for a while. It's still early."

"Do you think Jack did this Jamie?" she asked innocently. Jack's stomach coiled into a knot with the anticipation of the teen's answer. He waited, but no response came from Jamie as he walked to his bedroom door and swung it open.

"Come on, out. If you go now, maybe I'll take you sledding later." Jack couldn't help but smirk as she jumped up and ran from the room, swinging the door shut behind her. He ducked back against the side of the house and listened as Jamie spoke.

"I don't understand, Jack... Why did you have to leave? Why didn't you come back to see me? I know you've been there... you've caused enough snow days to make any kid jump for joy... I miss you Jack... Please, please come back... I don't want to stop believing but I have no choice..." Jack's heart sunk into his stomach, Jamie's words stinging him like ice. After hearing the door click shut, Jack looked back at the window and felt his heart ache. In the middle of the frosty pane was a melted handprint. The guilt that filled his conscience was almost too much to bear as he lifted a shaky hand and set it against the window where Jamie's melted print was. His eyes stung with the threat of tears when he realized that their hands were the same size now.

"It really has been too long..."

The guilt and frustration built inside Jack as he shot up into the air and rode the winds all the way to the North Pole. If anyone could help, it was North.

. . . .

"What are you trying to ask me Jack? I don't understand." Jack huffed an impatient breath and tried to explain again.

"I feel horrible North. We left him after that night. I'm supposed to watch over the children of the world, but I couldn't take care of the most important one to me. Jamie was the first kid to believe in me and I don't think I could take it if he stopped believing... What am I supposed to do?"

"I think you are over thinking this Jack. If you want to keep Jamie believing in you, maybe you need to let him see you. I admit we have been unfair to Jamie in not visiting him. He brought back Sandy and helped defeat Pitch. He believed in you. It is least we could do to show him we are still here."

Jack crossed his arms, his fingers pulling nervously on the seam of his sweater.

"What if he doesn't want to see me North? I've been horrible to him... He'll probably hate me." North walked over and put a hand on Jack's shoulder, shaking him slightly.

"Jack, you worry too much. If Jamie did not want to see you, he would have stopped believing in you. Go talk to him Jack, it is right thing to do. I feel it in my belly."

"Thanks North... You're the best." North let out a booming laugh and patted Jack's shoulder, sending him on his way.

"I try. I am Santa after all. The belly is never wrong Jack! Remember that."

. . . .

Jack reached Burgess by nightfall, using the wind to skate along the quiet streets until he reached the Bennett house. He carefully floated up to the window and peered in. Lying with his eyes closed and headphones in his ears was Jamie, his foot tapping to the beat of the music. He looked so calm and content and something inside Jack's heart tightened. With silent, gentle hands, Jack eased open the window and floated in. Jamie seemed oblivious to Jack's actions as he floated above him, watching the brown haired teen listen to his music in awe at how much he'd grown. The round flushed cheeks of childhood were gone, and in their place was a gentle jaw line and pointed chin that made him look older, but still youthful. At the corners of his eyes were sets of barely there laugh lines and a smattering of light freckles decorated the bridge of his nose and cheeks. Jack fought back the strange sudden urge to touch his freckles as his eyes took in the grown up face of the boy who first believed in him.

A smirk grew on Jack's face as an idea came to mind. With a gentle flick of his staff, snow began to fall around them, the tiny intricate flakes landing on Jamie's face. A confused frown appeared on the teens face before his eyes fluttered open. Jack almost laughed out loud as Jamie finally realized what he was seeing.

"Jack?"

"No, it's your mother. Of course it's me!" Jamie's face went from shock to anger faster than Jack could fly.

"Why are you here?" Jack floated down to sit on the end of Jamie's bed and watched as he sat up, setting his headphones aside.

"Oh you know, I thought I'd stop in. See how you're doing," Jack replied smartly, gripping his staff to stop the snowflakes.

"Just stop in? You think that you can come here after seven years and just _drop in?_ What the hell Jack?! You think that you can just waltz in here after all this time and pretend like nothing ever happened?! I BELIEVED IN YOU ALL THIS TIME AND YOU NEVER ONCE SHOWED YOURSELF TO ME! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO REACT JACK?"

"Jamie calm down, I can explain! If you'd just listen-"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, JACK! I WAITED FOR SEVEN DAMN YEARS FOR YOU TO COME BACK! SEVEN YEARS! AND YOU NEVER DID! NOT EVEN JUST TO SAY HI! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KEEP BELIEVING IN SOMEONE THAT WON'T LET ME SEE THEM, HUH?!"

"JAMIE STOP!" Jack shouted back, his sudden outburst of anger silencing his brown haired counterpart.

"Just listen to me for a second, okay? I can explain," Jack looked around the dimly lit bedroom, then back to Jamie, "Just not here." Jamie's head sunk into his hands as he contemplated his reply, the tips of his fingers reaching up into his hairline.

"You know, for being the Guardian of Fun, you're not making this very fun for me," Jamie groaned, looking up at Jack through the fringe of dark hair that had fallen over his eyes. After a few more moments of painful silence, Jamie finally caved and stood up, snatching his coat off the back of the door and sliding it on.

"Well, let's go then," he huffed, reaching for the door knob. Jack snickered to himself and flipped backward off the edge of the bed, landing gracefully on his feet.

"I thought we could take a different way," he smirked, gesturing toward the window with his free hand, his frost covered staff gripped loosely in his other hand. Jamie's eyes widened and he began to shake his head, backing up a step away from Jack.

"Fine, have it your way then." Using his staff, Jack summoned a gust of wind to scoop Jamie off his feet and out the window, following him out and laughing as they soared high up into the air. Too stunned to scream, Jamie watched as Jack sped through the air and caught him, his free arm wrapping tightly around his waist. With a devious grin, Jack watched Jamie's eyes grow wider as the sensation of falling grew in the pit of his stomach. Jamie's hands scrambled to clasp themselves around Jack's neck as they flew.

"Jamie! Look down!" Jack shouted over the wind, flying higher. The brunette shook his head, burying his face in the snow spirit's neck. It had been years since he'd flown with Jamie, but he still felt as light as a feather to Jack as they surfed the wind over the tall spruce tree tops. Jack could see the break in the trees he'd been looking for and descended suddenly, causing Jamie so yelp and grip him tighter. A few short seconds and a soft thud later, they were both standing in a tangle of limbs on the middle of an ice covered pond. Much to Jack's amusement, Jamie's eyes were still closed.

"You can open your eyes now, I promise I won't trick you," he whispered, the warmth of his breath tickling the taller boy's face. It wasn't until he was standing face to face with his first believer that he realized how tall he'd grown. Hesitantly, Jamie opened one eye and checked his surroundings before opening the other and settling his view on the white haired Guardian.

"Where are we?... I feel like I've been here before..." Jamie asked, his eyes unmoved from Jack's as he awaited an explanation.

"You've been here once, yes. I guess you probably wouldn't have remembered leaving, though. Sandy used his dream sand to knock all you kids out and take you home before your parents figured out you were gone." Jamie's eyes widened as he remembered the morning he'd last seen Jack.

"This is where we finally defeated Pitch... This was the last place I saw you before you left..." Jack nodded slowly, leaning on his staff slightly.

"Why did you bring me here Jack?"

"I need to explain myself to you, but I needed to be where it all started," the young Guardian explained.

"Where it all started? Jack, I don't understand-"

"I meant where it all started for me. This is where the Man in the Moon chose me to become Jack Frost. I died here, Jamie."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Jack felt Jamie's whole body go rigid at his words and fought the urge to flinch away, fearing rejection. It wasn't until now that Jack finally realized he had his arm wrapped securely around Jamie's waist, the brunette's hands still linked tightly around his neck. Jamie, realizing the closeness, cleared his throat and awkwardly took a step backward.

"Jack, you really need to explain. I don't understand why you brought me here just to talk..."

"You need to know why I wasn't around the first few years after we defeated Pitch. This pond was part of the reason behind everything I'm going to tell you, so I figured it would be appropriate to tell you here," Jack began to explain, but the look of disapproval on Jamie's face made him lose faith in his idea. He ran a nervous hand through his snow white hair, looking around at the snow covered bank for some sort of inspiration. With a sigh, Jack began.

"I didn't really know what I was signing up for when I first joined the Guardians. It never really occurred to me that I would have to take on a whole new role of responsibility and professionalism when it came to taking care of the children of the world. To be honest, I wasn't ready for it. I understand now why the Man in the Moon chose me to be a guardian, but it's taken me a long time to come to the realization that I don't ruin everything I come into contact with.

"I first realized why he chose me because I'd gotten a hold of my tooth box. Babytooth showed me the memory of how I died, and how I saved my sister from falling through the ice we're standing on more than three hundred years ago. I saved her, Jamie. That's why I am who I am. When I rejoined the Guardians to defeat Pitch, I had forgotten to take my tooth box with me. North decided to call a meeting once we returned to the Pole, but I flew off before anyone could stop me. I had to find my memories. I needed to find out more about my family, about who I was before I was Jack Frost. I dropped off the face of the earth for a year or two while I was... discovering who I was... I felt so guilty for leaving all of you alone after I'd made a promise to be there... I wanted to come back, but I couldn't bring myself to face you after all these years of disappointment, and I thought for a while that you'd stopped believing in me... I came by to create the odd snow day here and there, but I never got enough courage to try and find you. To try and explain myself sooner; make it hurt less... I mostly watched from afar. Made sure that I kept my distance while still trying to be there for you. I protected you from the one thing you needed most...

"You were there all this time, and you never told me?..." Jamie asked, his voice barely loud enough for either of them to hear, but Jack didn't have to hear the words to know the pain that came with them.

"I thought that I was protecting you... You have to believe me when I say that. Every time I thought about coming to you, I stopped myself because I knew that you'd be angry and hurt, or even worse that you'd stop believing in me... I don't know what I'd do if you stopped believing in me Jamie..." The young Guardian looked up at Jamie, hoping to be understood, and found the brunette clutching his wrist tightly. The light of the full moon above them glinted off the tears that were forming in Jamie's eyes as he stared at Jack with disbelieving eyes.

"When you never came back... Jack, I was a mess... I did a lot of things that I'm really not proud of," he whispered, his voice thick with the threat of tears.

"I know..." Jamie's eyes snapped open; his cheeks already too flush to show the embarrassed tone in them. Knowing that Jack had seen him do the things he'd done shocked him, but more so scared him in how Jack thought of him now.

"W-what did you see, exactly?" he asked hesitantly, circling the raised marks on his bare wrist with the pad of his thumb self-consciously as he awaited an answer. Jack's sharp intake of breath alarmed Jamie, making him want to run and hide from the Guardian. He felt so ashamed of his actions and now, standing before his childhood idol, it was all he could do to keep himself rooted to the spot.

"I would stop by every night before you went to sleep, just to check in on you... some nights were okay, but other nights... Jamie, I am so, so sorry... I never, ever could've imagined that leaving you the way I did would've caused you so much pain... I couldn't bear to watch most times, but I never wanted to leave so I kept my back to the side of the house and waited until you fell asleep before checking one last time... just to make sure that you were still, you know, okay..." An overwhelming urge to pull the younger teen into an embrace surged through Jack as he watched Jamie fidget nervously before him. It seemed as though the younger boy was hiding something from him, and it was making Jack nervous as well.

Taking a step toward him, Jack clutched his frosted staff tighter and bit his lip.

"What aren't you telling me, Jamie? I know you're hiding something, I can see it," he pried, watching the small puffs of cloudy air escape from Jamie's slightly open mouth.

"It's really nothing... It's not important..." Jamie muttered, shrugging his tense shoulders.

"You couldn't have been there every night... if you'd been there every night, you would've seen them..."

"Seen what, Jamie? What are you talking about?" Jamie's eyes closed, his face paling slightly in the bright moonlight.

"The nightmares Jack. The ones I had, and still have, almost every night since I realized you weren't coming back for me. We may have defeated Pitch that night, but it certainly didn't stop him from sending his nightmares to visit me. He saw my weakness and took advantage of the fact that I didn't have my Guardian here to protect me when I needed him most. Pitch saw a side of me that not even you have seen, Jack." The mention of the Nightmare King had Jack enraged, but the guilt he felt far outweighed the anger. That was the one thing he promised himself he would never let happen.

"I could've stopped them... If I hadn't been so ignorant and self centered, I could've saved you from all those horrible nightmares..."

"You couldn't have done anything even if you wanted to Jack."

"Of course I could've! Jamie you don't understand-"

"No you don't understand Jack! You couldn't have stopped them because I let them in! I let them show me the nightmares because I knew that it was the only way I'd get to see you! I gave up so many peaceful, dreamless nights for ones filled with nightmares because I knew that they would show me you." Shell-shocked, Jack stared at Jamie with incredulous eyes.

"No... Jamie, you didn't... Please, please tell me it's not true..." he pleaded, taking hold of Jamie's arm. Only a few seconds passed before Jamie pulled his arm out of Jack's grasp, the loss of contact tugging at his heart as he watched his Guardian's face fall.

"How- How long?"

At this, Jamie had to stop and think. How long had it really been since the first time he'd let the nightmares in? How many sickening nightmares had he endured just to see the bright face of the Guardian he admired the most? The pleasurable torment of the nightmares came flooding back to him as he relived the first time he really saw what they could do.

_The warm summer air drifted in through Jamie's open window as he lie awake in his bed thinking about how far away winter was. _

Maybe this year... _He thought, staring longingly out at the starry sky. _Maybe this year he'll come...

_For the last four years, Jamie had raised his hopes, praying that this year would bring the snowy haired teen back to Burgess. Every year since that magical night, he had been handed nothing but bitter disappointment and longed for another snow day with his favorite Guardian. By now, all of his friends who had been with him on that cold Easter night had forgotten and stopped believing. They were now the ones who teased him for still believing, calling him immature and selfish for putting his entire being into believing that one day the snow spirit would come back. The harder he tried to keep believing, the harder he fell when his friends abandoned him one by one until he had none left. _

_Part of him was lulled into a false sense of calm. The sting of the cuts on his inner thigh were the only thing that kept him in touch with reality; just enough to be reminded that Jack wasn't coming back for him. They weren't as deep as he usually made them, simply because he didn't feel like bleeding and having to deal with the healing process. The aching marks pulsed with every beat of his heart, like a constant reminder of the pain he'd felt every day for the past four years and was sure he would feel for the rest of his life. _

_Sleep slowly began to consume his mind, whisking away any dark thoughts until there was nothing left but silent emptiness. The only sound to be heard was that of Jamie's heavy, calm breathing as he began to fall asleep. _

_The sky outside began to glow with the golden threads of Dream Sand as they made their way into the houses of the sleeping children, creating pleasant dreams all around. One shining tendril floated down into Jamie's room, a scene playing out above his head depicting a snowball fight with his friends. A small smile formed on the boy's sleeping face as the dream played out. The golden sand began to change however, turning dark and recreating the scene into a nightmare. Startled, Jamie awoke to find the nightmare horse floating in the window, watching him with its glowing golden eyes. _

_With wide eyes, Jamie sat up and watched the nightmare. It took a few hesitant steps into the room, the dark sand flowing around its feet like a storm cloud. A few strains of the sand spiralled out and took the form of a boy with spiky hair and a tall staff, a dark smirk ever present on his face. Jamie gasped, leaning away from the nightmare version of Jack. His voice came in a whisper, the disbelief on his face plain as day. _

_"Jack." The Nightmare Jack nodded, lifting the hood from his head and watching Jamie intently. Something seemed wrong, but Jamie couldn't figure out what. He looked at the horse, its luminescent eyes ominous in the darkness of his bedroom. _

_"It's not really Jack... it's just Pitch trying to play games... why would he show me Jack?" Jamie asked, realizing how crazy he sounded as he spoke to a nightmare. _

_"I'm the best you're going to get. Jack's not coming back for you, but I'll be here; in your nightmares." Jamie gawked at the dark snow spirit. _

_"Come on Jamie," the nightmare smirked, a ball of iridescent sand forming in his hand, "let's have a little fun." No response came from the terrified teen as Jack tossed the sand ball directly at his face. Jamie fell limply back against his pillows, fast asleep as a nightmare formed. Both nightmares disappeared out the window and into the night sky, leaving behind nothing but a lingering bad dream. _

"Jamie?" Jack prodded the brunette's arm, slightly unnerved at how quiet the boy had gone. With a small shake of his head Jamie came back to the present, the memory in his mind growing distant as the seconds passed by. He was saddened to see how concerned Jack looked, knowing he'd caused it, and fought the strange feeling he had to reach out and brush the snowy white strands of hair from his forehead.

"Sorry, I was just... remembering something..." Jamie mumbled, his eyes trained on the ice beneath them. The touch of cool fingertips against his skin brought Jamie's eyes up as Jack tilted his chin.

"Are you scared?"

"What? Why would I be scared?" Jack took a deep breath, stuffing his hands in his sweater pouch, his staff cradled in the crook of his elbow.

"I imagine that you don't exactly trust me, and I get the feeling that you think I'm just going to disappear like last time." Jamie's heart clenched. He hadn't really thought about what would happen after tonight. He knew he didn't trust Jack, but he wanted to so badly it almost felt wrong not to trust him.

"You're right," Jamie sighed, looking up at the moon as he continued; "I don't trust you. I want to, but I don't." Jack bit his lip and looked down, shoving his hands in his pockets rather harshly.

"Will you take me home please?" Shifting his weight nervously from foot to foot, he watched Jack lift his gaze up and pierce him with his ice blue eyes. Lips pursed, he held out a hand to Jamie, his eyes looking anywhere else but at the taller teen as he closed the distance between them. Ignoring the feeling of the muscles coiling and uncoiling in his stomach as Jamie wrapped his arms around his neck, Jack gripped his staff tightly and silently summoned a gust of wind to lift them off the ground. For the first time in three hundred years, Jack felt cold.


End file.
